Unlike Iowa’s public universities that reported larger student bodies this fall than last, many of Iowa’s private colleges saw enrollment drop this semester. And even those bucking the decline have smaller student bodies today than they did years ago before the pandemic struck.
In late May, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed new legislation into law requiring Iowa’s Board of Regents to report specific financial-success metrics of its public university graduates – including their median annual income one, five, and 10 years post-graduation; median debt of those who took out student loans; and the percent of a graduate’s income spent paying off student-loan debt.
This year’s Iowa Ideas conference will also touch on that growing impetus to “meet the needs of students” with a session asking what those needs are – including in the mental health realm.
The state produced a list of high-demand jobs after lawmakers created a new Iowa Workforce Grant and Incentive Program that set aside $6.5 million to motivate students across Iowa’s public universities to fill high-demand jobs.
Before approving its state appropriations request in advance of the upcoming Legislative session, Iowa’s Board of Regents on Thursday tacked on another $1 million specifically for “extended mental health resources at our three regent universities.”
Taking a cue from last year’s Legislature, Iowa’s public universities for the upcoming session have made significant “special purpose” funding requests that would focus on rural health care, rural development and teacher recruitment.
Receiving no increase in general education funding from the Legislature in its last session, Iowa’s Board of Regents for the upcoming term has more than halved its ask from last year’s $32 million to $14.8 million.
On U.S. News & World Report’s list of “2024 Best Colleges” – which involved “the most significant methodological change in the rankings’ history” following widespread criticism of its wealth- and prestige-favoring metrics – Iowa’s public universities experienced meaningful movement, both up and down the charts.
All three of Iowa’s public universities have larger student bodies this fall than last -- as of their official 10th-day census -- including the University of Northern Iowa, which has been watching its enrollment trend down for more than a decade.
Mirroring the energy-drink tide swelling across the country of late, a University of Iowa health assessment this year indicated undergraduate and graduate consumption of the caffeine-boosted beverages is surging — even past national averages, which also are on the rise.
Iowa’s public universities are back in session, with students kicking off the fall semester this week under sweltering heat — making the start especially uncomfortable for some of the tens of thousands who moved into residence hall rooms without air conditioning.
This year, UNI students and supporters across the Cedar Valley and state will be sporting the first “TC’s Tee,” a new annual T-shirt tradition the campus hopes will raise camaraderie, Panther pride, and money for UNI’s general scholarship fund, housed within the UNI Foundation.
Bugeja’s concern about false information is one of many AI-related worries facing instructors and professors as students return to campus this fall. Others include plagiarism, misrepresentation, and various forms of cheating and technology-aided shortcuts students might employ, depriving themselves of material learning and tricking instructors into thinking they produced or wrote content they didn’t.
Five years after buying its community’s 80-year-old student bookstore for $2.4 million, the University of Northern Iowa wants to partner with a private chain to operate it – following in the footsteps of the University of Iowa.
State relations remain a preeminent concern for Iowa’s public university system, compelling the regents to try something new. With the recent retirement of UNI’s state relations officer Mary Braun, the board is looking to hire a firm – instead of just one person – to replace her.
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